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In deeply religious Porterville, the name of Jesus Christ is now banned from prayers that open City Council meetings, and a Lindsay ban probably is on the way.

Porterville moved recently to follow a court decision that bars official invocations from naming a specific deity. The decision permits words such as "God," "Lord" and "Father" but bars terms such as "Jesus," "Allah," "Yahweh" or "Buddha."

The ruling held that naming a specific deity violates a clause in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution preventing government from establishing any official religion.

Porterville officials met recently with local ministers who perform invocations.

"We said, 'Here's the law on the matter pursuant to the decision,'" said Julia Lew, city attorney for Porterville and Lindsay.

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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon